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Miriam: Movement and the Exodus

Imagine being an enslaved nation for 400 years with the
promise of a deliverer coming to take you to a promised land. Whenever people are
oppressed or in bondage for long periods of time, they become complacent in
the idea of being enslaved. Their mindset is to serve whatever master is
driving them. Freedom, for them, can be hard to comprehend.

Miriam, a young prophetess held on to the promise of Moses
being the deliverer of the Hebrews. Throughout all of the things she witnessed,
including the plagues, she didn't give up on that promise. All it takes is one
moment, one change in life events to be free. The final plague brought upon the
Egyptians proved to be too much for the Pharaoh of that day. His son was dead
and so were the first born sons of those who did not receive the instructions
to put the blood of a lamb on their door posts. In one moment, the children of
Israel where slaves, and in another moment they were free.

New found wealth came with their newly gained freedom. Each
Israelite was instructed to ask to borrow anything of value from the Egyptians.
Their freedom was in jeopardy as they faced the Red Sea in front of them and
their enemy, the Egyptians behind them. But, God performed a miracle. He opened
the Red Sea, allowed the Israelites to cross safely, and closed the sea on top
of the Egyptian army, drowning every last one.

What a glorious victory and an emotional roller coaster. The
children of Israel complained about facing the Red Sea, not knowing if God
would save them. He did save them. Now over 6
million Israelites have seen the salvation of the Lord. They are happy. They
are ecstatic as they begin to erupt with praise to God Almighty.

I can imagine the type of dancing and singing that was
taking place as they were prepared to make their journey into the wilderness.
Imagine the roar from the young and the old as Moses leads the congregation in
a song of praise. With their mighty voices they sing about the Lord being their
salvation and their freedom from bondage. They praise Him for being a man of
war, with all power in his right hand. That signifies the authority of God and
the power that He possess to do all things, including destroying an entire
army. Moses and the children of Israel began to declare they will make a
special place for the Lord to dwell. In all of the declarations about their
victory, in song they promise that God will have a place where He can be
praised and worshiped.

Exodus 15:20-21 20

And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of
Aaron, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women went out after her with
timbrels and dances 21. And Miriram
answered them, Sing ye to the LORD, for her hath triumphed gloriously, the
horse and his rider he hath thrown into the sea.

Who was Miriam?

Miriam happens to be the first prophetess and dancer ever
recorded in the Bible. The record of her dancing shows that there was some sort
of praise dancing that happened before her. She had to have a reference from
which to draw upon dance and movement. We see Miriam as a psalmist, a dancer, a
prophetess, and someone that had musical skill. She had to be able to keep the
timing and phrases of the song of Moses in order to join in and answer him with
her prose.

Before we see Miriam as the dancer, we must see her as the
little prophetess who instinctively knew exactly what to do to save Moses. Miriam
was the sister of Moses and Aaron in the Bible. She was a prophetess because
she received revelations from Yahweh (God) and because her brother Moses was a prophet.
The traditional Hebraic look of a prophetess is if a woman was married to a
prophet or another close male relative was a prophet. She was the eldest sister
of Moses and Aaron. Born during the time when the Egyptians began to oppress the
Hebrews. Her name in Hebrew means bitter, thus befitting of the bitter time of
oppression.

Her prophetic gift and influence was used to deal with the
women in the camp found in Michah, 6:4 and Numbers 12:2. She had a gift for
teaching and instruction.

What can we learn from Miriam?

We must learn to yield ourselves to the moving of the
Spirit. Without anyone telling her, Miriam gathered the women in the camp to
join in the celebration happening during this time. She sensed the moving of
the Holy Spirit to dance and sing. She understood the call to dance during this
moment.

We must learn that praise dancers are influential. Anytime
you are dancing before the congregation, those watching will assume that you
are living a holy lifestyle. Your expression of praise is an example for many
that may not know the Lord, children, and more seasoned saints. You never know
who is watching. Most of all you should know that the Father is watching you.
He is looking for people to worship Him in spirit and in truth John 4:24.

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